Chapter 578 Rumors that hurt the heart
"How does this matter have something to do with Cong'er? Tell me quickly." Aunt Xue was anxious and angry, and she wanted to beat her son.
Xue Datou scratched his head, then grinned and said, "Today, I treated everyone to a drink, and when I was enjoying it, I heard someone say that my brother-in-law has an army and wants to become the king of Shu and rebel."
"Although my son isn't very smart, he knew it wasn't a good thing to say, so he immediately went up and gave the ball bag a good beating! Even though the other side had a lot of people, they didn't gain any advantage."
Baochai's expression changed slightly when she heard this. Her lover was currently leading a large army and possessing immense power, controlling the entire Sichuan and Shu region. Such rumors were heartbreaking. Even the most trusted officials would be wary and even suspicious of such rumors.
Even if the enemy's identity was extraordinary, it might still arouse suspicion among the royal family! The royal family has always been ruthless, and fathers, sons, and brothers killing each other have never happened in any dynasty. Moreover, once such a reputation is established, it will be a huge obstacle for Cong'er in the future.
Especially now that Jia Cong is leading a large army outside, if the royal family becomes suspicious, the impact on Jia Cong will be immeasurable.
At the very least, he would be recalled and stripped of his military power. If the emperor really became suspicious, this would be far more dangerous than surrounding the palace and targeting the third prince.
Who on earth is this person who dares to use such vicious means to slander Cong Ge'er?
"Brother, have you found out who the other party is?" Baochai asked anxiously. "Which government office is he from? Since there was a dispute, did anyone report it to the authorities? Did the government officials go there?"
Xue Pan scratched his head. "I don't care who he is. I beat him up, and since no one was killed, what else can I do? At most, I'll pay him some money. However, if I see him again next time, I will definitely beat him up again. Is my brother-in-law, Xue's brother-in-law, anyone who can talk to him?"
"It was a chaotic situation at the time, and no one reported it to the police. I just shot the guy with the balloon and left with him. Who knows what happened next?"
"No one was killed, was there?" asked Aunt Xue.
Baochai, standing by, interrupted Aunt Xue and said, "Mother, this matter is of great importance. I'm afraid someone is plotting against Cong-er behind the scenes. I must find someone to discuss this matter immediately!"
After a moment's thought, Baochai said, "Mother, have your uncle come over immediately and ask him to help make the decision. I'll go to Miss Lin's house to discuss it, and also ask Lord Lin to help me with some advice. We women in the harem can't understand much, and your uncle and Lord Lin are both important officials in the court, so they naturally see things more clearly than we do."
When Aunt Xue heard this, she finally understood the importance of the matter.
"Go away, my daughter. I'll have someone find your uncle!"
Baochai immediately took the female guards and maids out, hitched a carriage and headed towards the Lin Mansion.
…
In the backyard of the Lin Mansion, after Daiyu returned home, she accompanied Lin Ruhai to eat and drink for a while, and then returned to the backyard to rest.
Looking at the book in her hand, Daiyu was a little absent-minded. "Tell me, how is Third Brother doing now ?"
Zijuan put down her work, stepped forward and said with a smile, "Don't worry, young lady. What kind of person is the Third Master? He was personally conferred the title of Champion Marquis by His Majesty, and he has so many brave soldiers and generals. Naturally, he won't encounter any danger. Besides, didn't the Third Master send you a letter a while ago?"
"Third brother is certainly powerful, but military affairs are so dangerous!" Daiyu sighed.
"Miss, this isn't the first time the Third Master has been on the battlefield. Perhaps it won't be long before he can return safely."
"Miss, Miss Bao is here!" Xueyan walked in from outside and said to Daiyu.
Daiyu was stunned. They had just parted at the Jia Mansion, so why was he in such a hurry to come here?
"Go and welcome Sister Bao in!" Daiyu gave an order to Xueyan and stood up.
Not long after, Baochai entered Daiyu's room under the guidance of Xueyan!
"Sister Bao hasn't returned home yet? Why is she here?" Daiyu asked with a smile as she sat down with Baochai.
"Sister Lin, something happened that I'm afraid will be detrimental to Cong'er, so I'm worried and came here to discuss it with you." Baochai said calmly.
"Ah? Third brother? What happened to third brother?" Daiyu asked anxiously.
Baochai did not hide anything and told Daiyu the whole story directly.
Daiyu twisted her handkerchief vigorously after hearing this. "How could this evil-hearted person slander my third brother like this? Everyone knows that the royal family values my third brother the most, and that he has always been loyal to His Majesty and the Empress. He should be arrested and brought to the government office to face charges for saying such things."
"Sister, this matter is of great importance. I have already asked my family to consult with my uncle. It would be better to inform Lord Lin as well so that we can be prepared in advance."
Daiyu thought for a moment and then said, "Sister Bao, please rest here first. I will go and tell father about this."
Afterwards, Daiyu went straight to Lin Ruhai's study.
"My dear daughter, haven't you rested yet?" In the study, seeing his daughter come in, Lin Ruhai immediately put down the book and spoke with a smile.
"Dad, someone is slandering my third brother!" Daiyu didn't have time to be polite and told him the whole story immediately.
Lin Ruhai 's expression was solemn when he heard this. As an important official in the court, he knew the horror of this matter better than Daiyu and others! The most important thing was that this kind of thing was simply inexplicable. Moreover, as long as such rumors were spread, even if Jia Cong remained loyal, the royal family's suspicion was inevitable.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Ruhai could no longer sit still and stood up and said, "Don't worry, daughter. I will go to the Xue family first to inquire about the specific matters and find out who dared to spread such outrageous words. Then, I will discuss countermeasures with Zi Teng and others."
Then, Lin Ruhai left the house. After thinking about it, he still felt uneasy, so he asked someone to go to the Jia Mansion to invite Jia Zheng, and then went to Fang Yao's house to invite Fang Yao to the Xue family. They were all his own people, so now that such a thing had happened, it was natural that they had to discuss it together.
After Daiyu returned to her room, the two sisters were extremely confused and didn't know what to do.
Baochai thought about it and felt uneasy. She immediately said to Daiyu, "Sister, how about you and I take the golden book to the palace to pay our respects to the Empress?"
"The Empress is very kind to Cong-ge'er, and if you don't help explain things like this in advance, it will be too late when the royal family really becomes suspicious."
Having said that, Baochai's real thought was that the Queen was Jia Cong's biological mother, and if anyone could be trusted, it would only be the Queen. Moreover, if the Queen was involved, the impact would be much smaller, at least the suspicion from His Majesty could be alleviated to some extent.
Daiyu was at a loss for a moment, but thinking about the Queen's liking for Jia Cong, she nodded immediately.
So, in the middle of the night, because of the fight that Xue Pan had fought, Wang Ziteng, Lin Ruhai and others gathered at Xue's house, while Baochai and Daiyu knocked on the palace gate again and entered the palace to ask to see the queen.
